Former GRAMMYs Boss Neil Portnow is Being Sued For Sexual Assault

Content Warning: This story contains discussion of sexual assault

Neil Portnow, the CEO of the Recording Academy from 2002 to 2019, is being sued for sexual assault. The plaintiff is a female musician who alleges Portnow drugged and raped her in 2018.

The Recording Academy is also involved in the suit. Per Pitchfork, the lawyer for the plaintiff has argued that the Academy “knew or should have known of … Portnow’s sexually assaultive behaviour towards women.”

Neil Portnow and the Recording Academy at the centre of sexual assault lawsuit

The plaintiff’s name has been kept private, but she has been revealed as an instrumentalist and journalist. She met Portnow in a hotel room, with the aim of interviewing him for her magazine. Portnow is alleged to have offered her wine, which, after she drank it, made her drowsy.

As she attempted to leave, she claims she felt as though she had no control of her body, at which point Portnow began “kissing and massaging her body.” The plaintiff then lost consciousness. Each time she awoke throughout the night, Portnow was allegedly sexually assaulting her.

After the alleged assault, the plaintiff contacted both Portnow and the Recording Academy. She also made a police report.

This allegation has been in the media since 2020, when Portnow’s replacement as CEO, Deborah Dugan, made a discrimination complaint. In the complaint, Dugan claimed that Portnow “allegedly raped a female recording artist, which was, upon information and belief, the real reason his contract was not renewed.” This, however, is the first time that details of the case have been made public.

Further Reading

Grammys Producer Apologises For ‘In Memoriam’ Exclusions Such As Joey Jordison

Watch Kim Petras Pay Tribute to SOPHIE in Grammys Acceptance Speech

Artists Slam Grammys President Neil Portnow For Saying Women Need To “Step Up” To Be Nominated